Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A boy with dark hair and sea green eyes stood in the workshop of Daedalus. He looked out at the crystal blue sky, wisps of clouds drifted past as the sun sat high above him. He could almost feel the presence of Apollo. He would spare him, he always liked Apollo. He was one of the only gods that cared.

One of the only ones that tried, he thought bitterly. Percy looked down at the valley of Colorado Springs. Red rocks, and various shrubbery filled the base of the window, with the rocky mountains off in the distance, filling the horizon. An open plain filled the distance between the base of the mountain to the Rockies. It was filled with open land, lakes, and various rivers. The perfect battleground.

“Any moment now, Your Highness,” Percy hissed to the woman in the cage nearby, but he didn’t remove his gaze from the window. Instead, he fixed his eyes onto the forest in the distance, where he knew the camps were gathered, preparing to fight him. The labyrinth had stopped moving for the time being. He wanted the camps and the gods to actually catch up to him. No point in letting the workshop move around so they couldn’t find him at all. He was ready for them. 

Hera glared at Percy from her confines. This was the second time she had been taken away in broad daylight and it was starting to annoy her. Unfortunately, this boy was cleverer than he looked. Much to her chagrin and slight admiration. It was frustrating to say the least. 

Percy had planned it perfectly. All the gods were in an argument about him, ironically. They were all at each other's throats, taking sides. She snapped at all of them and flashed out of the throne room, right to Percy’s waiting hands. Much like last time, no one noticed she was missing for several weeks. They all assumed she needed space and was still mad at them, it wouldn’t have been the first, so no one looked. They were unperturbed. In the meantime, the gods had been fighting amongst themselves unhindered with her absence, causing disarray and mass chaos, and eventually her disappearance was forgotten. Percy learned from his enemies. He knew what worked and what didn’t, he knew how to study people and guess their reactions and the outcomes. He knew this would happen, the little shit.

She didn’t know he was this smart, and she guessed the other gods were just as surprised as she was at his cleverness and ingenuity. It made her steam she didn’t know sooner. Using the labyrinth to avoid capture until he was ready for their assault was genius. Then he picked a location that both camps could get to with ease that also gave him wide access to water. He even made his own rivers to use. He had studied the land for weeks, even when the location of the workshop wasn’t in Colorado Springs. The fact that it was called the garden of the gods made her even angrier. He had picked this location on purpose, knowing they couldn’t stop him. It was just to show how little power they had over him or their own lands.

In addition, the camps were tense from the fighting, and tensions flared even higher throughout the weeks, especially when they noticed she was gone and Percy announced to them he had taken her. He called Olympus for that one, she had to watch the whole thing play out, the way a gleeful smile lit up his face as they exploded in anger and betrayal. Everything was crumbling to the ground. Poseidon and Zeus were fighting almost everyday, and the other gods were picking sides. She glared even more at Percy. Ohhh, he was good. Why didn’t they have anyone this clever on their side. Oh. She forgot about the daughter of Athena, but she supposed her emotions and reason would get in the way. Percy was beyond reason, he had nothing left to lose, and that made him very dangerous. She was sure his emotions would affect him, but most likely not in a way that would deter him. More than likely it would fuel his anger. She knew it was useless at this point but she had to try talking to him.

“Percy,” she started. He whipped around quickly. His annoyance and hatred at hearing her voice clear on his face, obviously not wanting to be reminded of her existence. 

“Quiet,” he snapped. He narrowed his eyes at her, and she glared right back. They continued to glare at each other until he gave a malicious chuckle.

“You all deserve this,” he said, approaching her, before circling her cage, staring at her like a predator, “I know I’ve sunk low. You wanna paint me as the bad guy, that’s fine. But it’s no fault of mine. You are all the ones that vilified me! I didn’t want it to come to this, but you gave me no choice.” He stopped in front of her cage. He turned around and stood before the windows again.

He took a deep inhale as he spread his hands out to the side, basking briefly in the sunlight. His face lit up with the golden light. Apollo did always have a sweet spot for the little shit. Percy opened his eyes, still staring out at the sky, before he suddenly grabbed his sword from his belt and spun around to face her, pointing it at her as he glared down the shaft. His movements were quick and swift; she almost didn’t see them. Nerves gathered in her stomach as she kept her slightly angry expression on her face. 

“They’re coming to save their precious queen,” he scoffed before he began picking his nails with his sword, “how precious you are. The fact they’re sending their children to fight their battles instead of fighting themselves is… deplorable, and so very very… predictable,” he sighed, glancing at the ceiling as he put his sword away. 

“It really goes to show you how much they care, huh,” he sent her a malicious grin. Hera could feel the shivers go down her spine. He was insane. But in a way, it wasn’t his fault. It made her angry that he was right. They had vilified him, multiple times. He asked for help, their help, and they didn’t give him any. He was drowning in nightmares and flashbacks, his mental health slowly spiraling until he hit rock bottom. The gods had been the cause of this, and they both knew it. 

“But I’m not backing down. Not now. Not when I’m so close, not when I’m right. I’m ready. Are you?” he asked her, sending her a glance as he walked into the shadows of the room towards a table littered with weapons and armor. 

“Percy…”

___________________

Annabeth stood before the gathered camps before her. Reyna stood at her side with a sad look on her face. She didn’t want to fight Percy as much as Annabeth didn’t. 

“Let’s get this over with,” Reyna said softly as she stepped up on the makeshift wooden platform. Annabeth sighed before following her. They stood next to each other as they stared at the gathered camps before them. Solemn and determined faces stared back at her as she breathed deeply to calm herself. 

“I know most of you are nervous about fighting Percy. He was a hero, a friend, a comrade. None of us want to fight him. But he’s the enemy now. He’s threatening the peace we finally managed to achieve and to destroy most of the gods as his ultimate goal. You cannot back down! It’s time for us to rise up, either that, or we stand down, and that’s not an option, not unless we want him to destroy everything we know,” Reyna said to the gathered army. She looked at Annabeth. 

“I’m probably the most conflicted at fighting Percy. We’ve been through everything together, but I swear to fight for the gods! I’m not letting any past feelings or memories get in the way. He’s our enemy. He will stop at nothing until he achieves his goal! I won’t let that happen. I’m determined to save my friends! My family! Are you ready?!” Annabeth yelled. Raising her dagger in a war call. Everyone responded with shouts of ‘we’re ready!’ She let out a breath of relief. 

“I’m ready,” she whispered. Looking through the trees towards the peak where she knew Percy resided. She stepped off the platform and to where her friends stood gathered together.

“Are you sure we can do this?” Jason asked them once Annabeth joined them. They all looked worried and conflicted. Most of them avoided her eyes. Nico looked to the ground while Will gave his shoulder a squeeze. 

“We have to,” Piper said softly, looking at the ground, “he’s given us no choice.”

“Technically that’s not true,” Leo said, before receiving an elbow to the gut by Hazel. He squawked in indignation as he rubbed his side and gave Hazel a disbelieving look, Hazel gave him an are you serious?! look.
“What? I’m just saying,” he protested. Annabeth looked away. No one looked comfortable with the reminder. He had given them another option, but no one took it, not even her. She couldn’t, there were too many risks, too many unknowns. Frank looked at he worriedly but she gave him a shake of her head. 

Annabeth sighed. “Let’s go,” she said. They all stared at her sadly before following her lead and joining the remaining troops. Annabeth hopped up on her chariot in front of camp halfblood. Reyna was on her pegasus in front of the Romans. They gave a nod to each other before they set out. They emerged from the tree line and into the valley that stood at the base of the mountain. She gulped nervously. Percy was strong, there was no denying that. She wasn't sure if they could win regardless of their numbers. She felt outmatched, and she didn't like that it was Percy making her feel this way. 

__________________

Percy watched the approaching army. His eyes glinted and a smile slowly graced his features. 

“Well,” he sighed. Hera looked over to him. He backed away from the windows as he approached her cage, “they’re finally on the move. I’ll make them understand. I’ll make them hear me! They’ll regret their decision to side with the gods. They’ll regret not siding with me,” Percy spat as he walked over to where his armor lay on the table, he quickly strapped it on. He didn’t really need it, but it was good to keep up appearances. He smirked. He sent Hera a salute before he started up the spiral staircase as her worried eyes followed him. 

Good luck, children. You’re gonna need it. She thought as she watched the army through the window. Nerves built in her stomach.

___________________

I have to prove they can trust me. Annabeth thought as she glanced around at her friends. Some people thought she was in allegiance with Percy because of their former relationship. And while she got where he was coming from, she really did, she was simply bitter instead of filled with unceasing rage, uncontrollable vengeance, and spite for the gods. She just hoped she was making the right decision here, Percy was alone facing the gods, but even that wouldn’t stop him. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she had to save her friends and family, and deep down she knew Percy wouldn’t hurt them. They were the same as him, he knew that. They were put into the same scenarios, and he didn’t blame them for what they had to do. His goal was the gods, and if he had to put down an army of their children in the process… so be it. He would incapacitate them, then head for the rest of the gods. She couldn’t let that happen, even if deep deep down she wanted it to. 

She looked up where she spotted a figure on top of the peak. They looked small, but even from here she could tell it was Percy. His dark hair danced in the wind. She took a shaky breath before focusing on the path ahead. She couldn't afford to be overwhelmed by emotions and doubts now.

___________________

Percy looked down at the approaching army, leaning onto his knee, his foot perched on a boulder. He could almost pick out his friends. He saw Annabeth along with Reyna in the lead, his friends right behind them. He smirked as he saw Annabeth look at him. He briefly wondered if it was too late to convince them. He straightened up. He allowed his rage to come to the surface as he glared at the approaching army. He didn't want to do this, but they were in his way, and he couldn't have that.

“I’m ready.”

Chapter Text

Annabeth hated today so far. First they had to cross half of the country. Then she had to rally teenagers to fight her boyfriend who went off the rails crazy in the last few months. It was not a good day so far. She didn't like it.

She watched with trepidation as Percy scaled down the peak with ease. He stopped 50 feet before the waiting army. He looked as casual as ever. Hands in his jean pockets with greek armor over a t-shirt. He looked calm and collected. Percy’s gaze was cold and filled with rage as his eyes swept over their forces, calculating numbers, spotting the number of Roman Eagles, pulling out different threats, noticing how many chariots there were, who held greek fire and if there were catapults. 

It took him less than a few seconds, but Annabeth knew he was able to figure out almost everything they had. It unsettled her when his eyes landed on her, before looking at the rest of his friends. He gave a lazy smile, the one that always got him into trouble. His eyes glinted and Annabeth’s stomach dropped. 

“Percy,” she called, “we don’t have to do this. You could stop now, let Hera go, and the gods might forgive you. We don’t want to fight you, we don’t want to hurt you,” she said softly. She saw Percy’s eyes soften, and for a split second she saw the man she fell in love with, but then they hardened again, and she was left looking at the broken shadow before her. 

He gave a humorless laugh. Everyone tensed at the sound, watching him warily as he threw his head back. He cut off his laugh and looked at her with a steely gaze. 

“Even if I wanted to stop, the gods would never forgive me after this. They’ve threatened to kill me when I was a hero, and now I’ve given them incentive. No, there’s no choice here for me. I’m afraid I don’t want to do this either. There’s no point in fighting you all. The gods will fall one way or another. I don’t want to hurt fellow demigods, not after all we’ve been through. Not after all the fighting we’ve done for them. Even now, the gods sent you to deal with their mess, expecting you to fight their battles because they’re too scared to fight them themselves. They know you can’t win, but they sent you anyway, because most of them don’t care,” he hissed. Annabeth felt uncomfortable at his words, because she knew he was right. She had been resentful towards the gods for so long, and Percy’s turn was a testament to how bad the situation was.

Around her she felt the army shift with unease, several of them having the same thoughts as her. They had all dealt with too much loss on the gods behalf. It wasn’t only her that was tired of it. 

“Join me,” Percy said, spreading his arms out to the side. His voice rang through the valley. It filled her head and she froze in place. She knew it wouldn’t take much convincing from Percy to have her join him, she was already hesitating. Just as she was about to take a step Reyna said, “never.”

Annabeth swallowed stiffly. Percy’s eyes narrowed and he lowered his arms. 

“Fine,” he said coolly. He cracked his neck before he froze, staring down the armies with such ferocity she felt them back up behind her, “have it your way then.”

He took out his sword faster than she could follow. He raised one arm, his hand facing the sky as his face twisted in concentration. Around them, gallons and gallons of water from the rivers and lakes rose up, funneling together to form a large disk of water above the battlefield, causing light to distort as the rays went through the water. Everyone gazed up at it in surprise. Percy had gotten stronger. Reyna sounded the charge, Annabeth yelling soon after her. The armies ran at Percy. 

Percy swiped his hand down. Annabeth had enough time to brace herself as torrents of water crashed into her. It knocked her off her feet as she held her breath. The water pounded her back, moving too quickly and with too much pressure for her to get up. Her vision started to go black at the edges. She was running out of oxygen. Just when she thought she couldn’t hold her breath anymore the water stopped. She broke out of the subsiding water with a gasp as she inhaled deeply. She rose to her hands and knees as she caught her breath, sputtering. Around her, several demigods were already incapacitated. Several had passed out from the lack of oxygen. The water funneled itself back into the rivers. She turned her head back to Percy. He still looked the same. It didn’t even look like the feat had strained him, which would’ve severely in the past. He was much much stronger. 

He looked her in the eyes. Her body shook as she leaned back onto her heels. He removed his eyes as he studied the remaining number of campers. About half of each camp was left conscious, and she had a feeling it wouldn’t be that way for much longer. 

Reyna a few feet away from her staggered to her feet. She had been knocked off Scipio. 

“Romans!” she called, receiving several groans as an answer. She sighed and Annabeth saw a small smile twitch Percy’s lips for a second. 

“Camp half-blood!” she called, and received much more groaning in return with several complaints. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and looked to the heavens questioning why she deserved this. 

“Up you idiots!” she heard Clarissa yell. She heard the Stoll brothers throw something at her in return. Followed by more yelling.

Her friends came to stand next to her. Nico stood with Will right next to them. There were only about 150 total demigods left standing and in fighting shape. 

“Will,” she said, not taking her gaze off of Percy’s smiling face, “what’s the status of the campers?” 

“Completely fine,” he responded almost in shock, “everyone is unconscious at best, there are a few broken bones, but no one is dead. I think he’s just trying to incapacitate us,” Will said as he gazed back at their forces, his eyes sweeping over the prone bodies. She nodded in acknowledgment. 

She knew exactly why. Percy may have turned, and been a little crazy as a result, but he hadn’t really changed. He hated the gods, certain ones to be precise, but he didn’t hate demigods. He knew most of them, and had fought by all their sides several times before. Loyalty was his fatal flaw, to turn against them now would be against his character. He felt loyal to them, she knew that. He didn’t want to hurt them as much as he could avoid. He wouldn’t take out his anger on kids just like him, no matter what the gods had done. To incapacitate them all would give him the advantage, and with them out of the way in Colorado, would give him the easy ability to storm Olympus without having to worry about accidentally killing anyone. 

She still knew Percy. Percy knew that as well. Percy let the remaining forces collect themselves. He stared calmly at them, his sword point resting against the ground as he watched. His eyes swept over the remaining number of campers and who was left. 

“Let’s do this,” Annabeth said quietly. She was still shaking. Nerves churned in her stomach as she stared down Percy. Piper put a hand on her arm. Annabeth turned to face her. Piper looked worried. She was sopping wet from Percy’s attack. Her hair stuck to her face as droplets rolled down her face. 

“It’ll be ok, Annabeth,” Piper said calmly. Annabeth felt the effects of Piper’s charmspeak wash over her and she nodded. Her fear and worry dimmed and she turned back to Percy. 

He removed his sword from the ground and swung it so it was resting on his shoulder. 

“Well, as much as I’d love to stand here and stare lovingly into all your eyes, I’ve already got a date with the gods, and you all know how much they hate it when someone’s late,” he said calmly as he walked towards them. Humor glinted in his sea green eyes. 

Reyna and Annabeth exchanged glances before nodding at each other. They raised their weapons and everyone followed suit. 

Percy took a deep inhale as he steadied his sword, he closed his eyes. He exhaled, opened his eyes, and charged. The remaining forces followed suit 

Annabeth had seen his battle face several times before. She was always the one fighting next to him after all, but being on the receiving end of his icy stare sent shivers down her spine. The hair on her neck raised like when Jason controlled electricity. Her instincts told her to run, but she shoved them down and plowed on. Percy locked swords with Reyna’s javelin. He swiped it to the side, spun and stepped inside her guard. She spun and tried to hit him with the other end. He dove over it to the side, avoiding another strike by another demigod. He swiped his sword out and used the flat of it to slam into Reyna’s ankle. She buckled and started to fall but more demigods came to her aid. 

Water started to swarm around Percy. He pulled it out of the air, the ground, and the surrounding rivers. A hurricane formed around him much like it had back in Manhattan. He swept his hands and knocked charging demigods to the ground. 

Percy could feel his powers swell. Adrenaline filled him as demigods swarmed him on all sides. He grinned as he charged into the remaining ranks. Slashing and whirling as he went. He didn’t cut very deeply, mostly on legs and arms. He hit campers with the hilt of his sword, and the flat of his blade. Knocking them unconscious and causing them to collapse as he destroyed their ranks. Maniacal laughter bubbled from his chest, but this time he wasn’t scared of it. It enthralled him. His laughter reached demigod ears’ just before he knocked them to the ground. 

The Greeks charged him from the right, but he saw them coming. He turned towards them and engaged them in battle. The water around him only increased in furocity and volume. He knocked out several greek demigods, only feeling slightly remorseful as they fell to the ground. Greek fire from the Stoll brothers was launched at him. He dove out of the way as it exploded behind him. He rolled to his feet and clashed swords with Clarissa. Her fiery eyes burned holes into his soul. 

“Sorry,” he said before he knocked her over and punched her unconscious.

She's going to kill me later.

He rolled off of her and smelt ozone in the air, and the hair on his neck stood up as electricity coursed through the air. He rolled to the side as lightning struck where he had just been standing. A black and smoking hole was left behind. He turned and leveled his gaze with Jason. 

Is he trying to kill me? Not that he could, but still.

Lightning flickered across Jason’s body as they stared each other down. Jason charged. He sent a blast of lightning at Percy from the sky. He sidestepped the blast and continued to rush Jason. He swiped his hand towards Jason and a torrent of water sped towards him. Jason managed to dive to the side as the water went roaring past him, hitting another unlucky camper. Jason started to fly as he got closer. Counteracting the winds around Percy and to avoid the water spinning around him. 

Jason dove at him from the sky. They locked swords and electricity crackled, thunder boomed throughout the valley. The smell of ozone thickened. Jason pressed his sword against his hard. His blue eyes crackled with electricity as they both pushed. Percy gritted his teeth before he heaved Jason back. Both their movements got faster. Percy barely had time to think as he engaged Jason in battle. He expanded the water without thinking and soon they were blocked from view. They blocked, parried, and struck at each other. But they both knew Percy was the better swordsman. It was only a matter of time before Jason tired. Electricity flickered across his blade. Determination filled his eyes as they continued to lock blades.

He tried striking Percy with it, who simply spun out of the way and slashed at Jason’s arms. The voice of Luke continued shouting orders at him in his mind as they continued. Jason managed to slash Percy’s arm, but no damage was done. He could see the confusion on Jason’s face.

Shit, shit, fuck, fuck, fuck.

Percy used that to his advantage, stepped inside Jason’s guard, and did the disarming maneuver Luke taught him so long ago. Jason’s sword clattered to the ground, Percy spun and struck the side of Jason’s head with his hilt. Jason crumpled and Percy grabbed a hold of his shirt. Lowering him slowly to the ground, and straightening out his limbs so they weren’t at awkward angles. 

He panted slightly as the hurricane died down around him. The sky cleared of clouds that had gathered during the fight.

“Jason!” Piper cried out. Percy looked over at her. She was still soaking wet and looked at her unconscious boyfriend in concern. He backed away from Jason and faced the remaining army. There weren’t many left. Reyna, Nico, the seven, and a few other remaining campers were all that stood in his way. 

He saw Annabeth standing a few feet away. She was staring at Jason in surprise. She clenched her jaw and locked eyes with him. He saw the realization crash over Annabeth like the waves at shore. She stared at him in utter shock. He gave her a small sad smile before turning to everyone else. He looked at Nico, who was raising an army of the dead. He sighed. He walked away from Jason and towards the remaining campers. More greek fire was launched at him from the hidden Stoll brothers. He somersaulted out of the way and continued walking. He swept his hands, water rolled over the fields and down into hidden trenches. He focused. He could feel the blood rushing through people’s bodies. Their heartbeats echoed in his ears. He found several people who were hiding and clenched his hand. As a precaution he controlled the water to go rushing down into the trenches. 

He cut off the circulation to their brains. He counted in his head. After 40 seconds he could feel campers lose consciousness and he released his hand and water came out of the trenches. He glanced briefly at Annabeth. No one can know. 

He was tired, but needed to deal with the remaining campers quickly. He looked at the remaining campers and rushed Nico. He would be the biggest problem with his undead minions. Nico barely managed to get his sword up in time to block Percy’s strike. He gritted his teeth as the older boy pushed down on him hard. In the corner of his eye, Percy saw the rest of the seven start to rush him. He flipped backwards as rhino Frank charged past him. He landed on his feet and immediately Hazel tried to strike him with her sword. He blocked it and Nico charged at him from the right. He kicked out Hazel’s leg and spun in time to meet Nico’s blade. He felt the earth around him start to shift. Hazel. With concentration he steadied the ground beneath him. 

Shit shit shit shit shit.

Hazel swung her sword at the back of Percy’s knee. Percy tackled Nico to avoid the strike before vaulting off of him. Frank transformed into a dragon. His body expanded as scales covered him. His gaze focused on Percy.

Oh fuck me.

Percy summoned water just as Frank spewed fire at him. It met the water and turned into steam, filling the surrounding area. He heard the undead move towards him as the rest of the seven joined the battle. 

Why does he get to turn into cool animals again?  Percy questioned his father bitterly.

Percy grunted as he dissolved the steam. Annabeth was on him immediately. Her face was fierce as she locked her dagger with Percy’s sword. They engaged in battle. The rest of the seven began to help. Charging him from all sides. It took all his concentration not to get roasted, or stabbed. The undead soldiers weren’t helping. Sweat started to form on his forehead as he spun, fended, and attacked everyone in his near vicinity. 

He heard Piper trying to speak to him as she attempted to stab him with her dagger but he blocked her out, filtering out any noise apart from the battle around him. Any time he moved to knock one of them out, another one would immediately be on him, hindering his attack. He had to admit they worked well together. His skill was just allowing him to fend them all off at once. He yelped as he just managed to get out of the way of Nico's sword as he attempted to run him through.

Annabeth communicated silently with the rest of the seven, strategizing quickly, adapting to his new skill and proficiency, trying to devise ways to defeat him. 

He grit his teeth as he sent water flying at Frank, who was at the moment a bear, which was pretty annoying to say the least. He dove out of the way as Frank tried to swipe him, Hazel was there with her sword. Percy brought up his sword to block as he rolled to a knee. He pushed her back as a skeleton attacked him from the right, Annabeth came at him from the left. He swept out her legs, and swept his sword through the skeleton. While his back was turned, Annabeth tackled him into the mud. She straddled his back as they both panted heavily. She had her dagger at his neck.

“Surrender,” she panted.

"Nah. It's not in my contract," Percy huffed. With his will power, he knocked her off with a stream of water. She sprawled out several feet away. She staggered to her feet as Percy got up. he wiped the mud off his face and stared at the seven as they spread out around him. 

“I’m guessing it’s too late to call a truce,” he huffed. 

“It’s not like we could anyway, the gods would destroy us,” Annabeth told him with a huff of her own. He smiled that troublemaker smile and something inside Annabeth’s mind started to stir. 

“You’d be surprised how many gods don’t care,” he said. Her mind whirled. Trying to decipher the meaning behind his words. It suddenly clicked and she gaped at him in surprise. 

“No…,” she breathed and he nodded. Her world almost crumbled around her. The rest of the seven looked at her worriedly. 

“Annabeth, we need to defeat him before he destroys the gods,” Piper spoke, her charmspeak lacing her voice. Annabeth found her agreeing. Percy snorted. 

“You make it seem like I’m a vengeful, psychopathic, murder who wants to destroy all the gods,” he said, scractching his chin absentmindedly, “it’s not like I’m Zeus.” Thunder rolled across the sky and Percy glared at it. 

“Oh, pipe down you over glorified weather boy,” he snapped. More thunder rolled and Percy in return rolled his eyes. Piper blinked at him. 

“You don’t want to do that?” she asked mostly in surprise. Percy blinked, as if remembering they were there, before he smiled again, one that was darker than the last. 

“No. Only some of them, of course. I'm not that insane. Most of them are nice. After I destroy a few, I’d establish a new system. It’s about time that someone new was in-charge,” he chuckled his eyes glinting with mirth. Annabeth’s mind spun, coming up with his plans and deciphering all possible meanings of his words, and eliminating some based on what she knew and his personality. 

“Zeus will still try to kill us,” Annabeth said. Percy frowned and tutted. 

“Oh, Wise Girl,” he sighed. He raised his sword and grinned maniacally, “Use that amazing brain of yours. Obviously, when I’m done, Zeus will no longer be a problem.” Thunder cracked ominously and a chill went down her spine as Percy rushed them. 

If she thought he was powerful before, she was seriously underestimating him. He attacked them with more speed and renewed vigor. Now it was their turn to be on the defense. He barely gave them enough breathing room. They all engaged him at once but that did nothing to deter him. 

At one point she thought she hit Percy, but she must’ve been mistaken because she saw no blood. Her mind must be playing tricks on her. Slowly she felt herself tiring. They all were. Nico looked exhausted. The undead soldiers disappeared, he was trying to focus on simply fighting Percy. She blocked a strike from him, before he pushed her back and he spun around to hit Piper with the flat of his blade. She fell into the mud, the wind knocked out of her as she groaned. 

Slowly, they all dropped off one by one. She wasn’t sure how long they fought Percy, but it seemed to stretch on forever until she was the only one left. She sat panting in the mud. Resting back on her elbows as Percy stared down at her. He still looked the same as when he stood before them in the valley. The only new things were the slashes in his armor, the rips in his clothes, and the mud down his front, but otherwise he was unharmed. His face shone with sweat as he looked down at her.  

“You were a hero,” she tried desperately. A last ditch effort. He shook his head. 

“I was delusional. I finally realized the truth. Most of the gods don’t care, and they never will. After so many battles, after so many wars, how can you continue to believe that they do? No. They expect their children to fight their battles for them. No contact, no helping. They stay up in their temples, and expect demigods to do all the work for them. When I destroy some of the gods, it’s going to be different. I’ll ensure it. It’s time for Zeus’ reign to come to an end, a new age is beginning. Join me,” he said. He stuck his hand out to her in offering.

His words swirled in her mind. She knew he was right. She knew that from the beginning, but she didn’t think he had stood a chance before. But now she could see that wasn’t true. He could potentially succeed, and with her help, he would forsure. Her breath stuttered in her chest. She looked into his sea green eyes. She would follow him anywhere. They needed each other after everything they had gone through, and deep down she knew the gods needed retribution, and part of her wanted to give it to them herself. 

She briefly remembered the meeting they had with the gods before they moved out to attack Percy. Some of them looked furious at what was happening. But others… others she now realized looked neutral, but several of them were hiding joy and excitement in their eyes. She remembered what Apollo said to her just after she left the throne room. He teleported to her, his golden eyes locking with her own. You will be the deciding factor for how the camps fight . At first she thought he meant rallying them to attack Percy without hesitation. Now, looking at Percy's outstretched hand, she realized Apollo meant whether or not the camps would side with Percy. Apollo was warning her ahead of time of the decision she would have to make, and his eyes had told her what the right decision would be. 

She only hesitated a moment before she slipped her hand into Percy’s. Their hands fit together perfectly. Just as they had always had. The months apart had done nothing to stem the flame between them. It only made it stronger. He pulled her to her feet before enveloping her in a hug. She melted against his body as she squeezed him tightly.
“Always.”

Chapter Text

Six Months Earlier

Percy was mad. Actually understatement. Percy was pissed. You’d think that after fighting and defeating a primordial being they’d be allowed to sleep. But no. Instead here they were standing in front of the Olympian council in their pj’s and sleep encrusted eyes, barely awake and not aware of what was going on. And what was the purpose of this you ask? No clue. Percy has no idea and he wasn’t very interested in finding out. 

He crossed his arms and glared at the assembled gods to show how much he did not appreciate this disturbance of his day, thank you. He was having the best sleep of his life in months, exhausted after fighting for days straight that his mind didn’t even bother with dreams. But instead he was here, tired, cranky, and pissed. They could count themselves lucky if Percy didn’t stab Zeus in his arrogant, supercilious-.

“Now!” Zeus boomed like the egotistical maniac he was. 

“We’ve gathered you all here for a reason,” Hera started

“In the goddamn middle of the night,” Percy muttered underneath his breath loud enough for the rest of the seven to hear. Piper, Hazel, and Frank were trying very hard to keep a straight face.

“First,” Hera continued, “ to congratulate you on defeating Gaia, and second to discuss your fates and gifts.” Percy rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, a move noticed by practically every god in attendance. Zeus narrowed his eyes and lightning flickered in the blue.  

“Consider yourselves lucky, Perseus. Not many-” Zeus started but was interrupted by Percy. 

“Get the pleasure or honor of receiving a gift from the gods, ” he snarked. “Trust me, it’s not a pleasure or an honor, but please continue with this stupid publicity stunt so I can go back to bed.”

“Percy,” Annabeth hissed, glaring at him from his place next to her.

“What? Am I wrong?” he complained, gesturing at the gathered gods.

“Anyway,” Artemis interrupted, stopping Percy before he got himself killed by her father who already looked very angry. “On behalf of all the gods we’d like to congratulate you and thank you for what you did when we were incapacitated,” she said with a smile. Percy kept his mouth shut but it was only because he liked Artemis. 

“We’d like to all offer you a magical gift that could be of some use for you in the future,” Hera spoke up, tilting her head majestically. 

“Oh wooo!” Percy cheered sarcastically waving his arms above his head before rolling his eyes and crossing his arms again, “I got offered immortality the last time I saved your divine asses, but this time we only get offered magical gifts. Real step up there. I see how it is. You just don’t want us cashing in our favors for something more reasonable do you?” 

“ Percy, ” Annabeth hissed. His friends looked at him in utter shock. 

“You got offered immortality?” Hazel asked in disbelief. Percy shrugged his shoulders and glanced around. 

“Yeah, I didn’t want it though.”

“What? Why?” Jason questioned. Percy shrugged but his eyes flicked to Annabeth for a split second, almost too fast for them to notice. 

“Nothing in particular. Kinda regretting that decision though cause if I had maybe I could be kicking all your asses right now for not keeping up our bargain!” Percy hissed, the last part of his sentence aimed at the gods. 

“A very reasonable one mind you! It was so simple! All you had to do was pay more attention to your kids and make sure they were found before they were 13! It’s the least you could do after not being able to keep it in your pants! But no! Not only did you not pay more attention, several kids were found after the time frame I gave you! Look at Piper and Leo! They were found 3 years after the limit! 3! Do you know how insane that is! They were lucky some monster didn’t find them sooner!” Percy waved his arms above his head in frustration, gesturing wildly with his hands. Some of the gods had the decency to look ashamed, namely Aphrodite and Hephaestus, while others had the gall to look offended. 

His friends were definitely uncomfortable. Percy was spitting treason like there was no tomorrow, but the problem was he was right and they all knew it. 

“How hard is it to keep your promises! Di immortalis! It’s not like this is a very tough one! But since you gods don’t have to face the consequences for any of your actions you don’t feel the need to keep your promises! You break them because you can and you know it. You’re a bunch of immature, thoughtless, overgrown, immortal children! And don’t you dare interrupt me,” Percy snapped when Zeus went to open his mouth, pointing at him sternly. Piper covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile as her shoulders shook with silent laughter. Percy was lecturing the gods like an exasperated parent.

“This is treason,” Zeus boomed, thunder shaking the room and lightning flashing. Percy put his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes. 

“Zip it, μαλάκας! I’ve saved your asses more times than I can count. I deserve to spout some treason. Now shut up, sit down, and tone down the light show. It’s annoying.” Everyone was stunned into silence. Poseidon looked at Percy with a mix of amusement and pride. Apollo was covering his mouth but his eyes glowed with mirth. Hermes looked like he was about to die from joy. The rest of the gods were either hiding how amusing this situation was or were absolutely pissed at Percy. Jason looked at Percy in a mix of absolute bewilderment, horror, and amazement. Zeus had threatened Jason for lightly suggesting to not punish Apollo for what happened, yet here was Percy insulting him to his face and he was letting it go. Annabeth’s mouth was gaping like a fish.

Hera narrowed her eyes, “you best keep your mouth shut, boy. If you know-”

“‘-if I know what’s good for me,’” he mocked, “news flash I don’t, never will, and don’t care enough to find out from you.” Percy’s eyes glinted as he spoke. Hera glared at him, and man, if looks could kill. 

“Let’s just kill the punk,” Ares gritted out, the flames spilling out behind his glasses. Percy gave his troublemaker smile. 

“You lay a hand on him and a war will be waged,” Poseidon ground out. His eyes a hurricane as he glared at his nephew. 

“You cannot be serious, brother?” Zeus said glaring at Poseidon. “You know how dangerous he has become, we cannot let him leave here alive. He has grown to be too unpredictable. He is no longer reliable. He is too powerful for a mere demigod, his very existence could cause the natural order to be thrown into chaos.”

“I swear on the river Styx if I find out there was even the slightest planning of his demise I will wage a war against the council alone if I have to and there will be hell to pay,” Poseidon boomed, slamming his trident against the marble. Thunder sounded at his proclamation. The throne room crackled with electricity, the temperature dropped, and the room smelled of sea salt and ozone. No one moved and no one spoke. 

“Apart from the already obvious war that would be caused by my death, there are other consequences to be had if I die,” Percy said sweetly, breaking the silence. All eyes were once again back on him. His eyes were a cold, hard jade. Chills went down Piper’s spine at Percy’s voice. The sudden change but the malice hidden in his voice made her want to run as far away from here as possible. Ares gave a hateful, fake smile in return. 

“Then, clever cousin of mine, do inform us,” Ares said waving his hand. 

“You forget your children,” he said with a smirk and realization dawned on Athena and Annabeth’s faces. “They see me as the greatest hero in centuries. The strongest demigod alive. A living legend who faced Kronos at 16. Now, imagine what’d they think if the gods killed the demigod that had served them the most. If you can kill me off of all people, what could you do to them? If I’m worthless what can they possibly do? You’d lose them all. They’d lose all faith and trust in you, scared of what could happen to them since they can’t possibly meet the demands I did.

“You’d become so weak without the sacrifices from your children. They’d be torn apart, trying to pick sides in a divine war. The world would be torn apart. Scorched, flooded, there’d be nothing left as a result of the war, you’d all slowly fade away. The world consumed by flood waters. Also, I can't forget about the Romans. They’d pick sides. The conflict would cause another case of multiple personality disorder. You’d be weak, disorganized, and vulnerable. Any enemy of yours could seize that chance. There’d be nothing you can do. You’d lose. So, if killing me is such a good idea then go ahead and strike me down,” Percy said, his grin widening, spreading his arms out to the side. The gods stayed silent, half glaring down at the demigod before them while the seven stood shell shocked next to him. 

Percy gave a dark chuckle, scratching his jaw. “Have to say it wouldn’t have taken much for me to join one of the other sides. I almost joined Kronos. Hell, the bar was here ,” Percy said, holding his hand about an inch from the floor and waving it, “and he still managed to go below that. How? No idea, couldn’t tell you. The only reason I sided with you guys every time is because you're the better of two evils. Everything I did for you, I did because I thought you were the better option. And honestly, I shouldn’t have to weigh my decision on how bad the other choice is. That’s just sad. I should be choosing you because I know for a fact you’re the better choice. There should be no competition at all, and yet it is,” he said with a sigh and a shake of his head. 

“I can’t believe he’s talking to them like that,” Piper said. Annabeth shook her head, she expected it from him at this point.
“I can’t believe they're letting him,” she quipped back. 

“Honestly, if you guys just kept your promises we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Me, a 17 year old, shouldn’t have to be lecturing you on how to act, and yet here we are. I’d take you down myself if I could-” Percy started before he stopped, realization crossed his face, his eyes going wide as he looked at the gathered gods before him, several who tensed up when he looked at them. He gave a small chuckle before it broke out into full blown laughter. It reminded Annabeth of his laugh when he was fighting, pure coldness and mania. A goddess choking on her own blood and tears flashed behind her eyelids as she stood frozen watching Percy laugh.

“This is the best idea I’ve ever had,” he muttered, carding a hand through his hair. 

“What’d you say?” Zeus ground out, standing up as lightning flashed around the throne room. Poseidon tightened his hold on his trident, eyeing his brother warily in case he tried anything. This was not how the gods expected this council meeting to go. Percy smiled up at the gods as he bowed. “Consider this my official declaration of war.” Gasps resounded the room. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed. “You all should know if you’re on my hit list or not, believe it or not I like some of you. I’ll be going now before the shock wears off. There’s so much planning I need to do,” he chuckled. “It’s been a pleasure as always,” he said with an over exaggerated bow before he whistled. Mrs. O’Leary appeared and Percy hopped on her back and was enveloped in shadows as he saluted the seven. No one moved, all frozen staring at the spot where Percy had stood seconds before. 

The gods searched for Percy, but nothing could be found. He was a shadow just like the ones he disappeared in. His presence felt just enough to remind everyone he was there and of the threat he posed. Soon the gods forgot about his declaration of war, but Annabeth? Annabeth could not. She could still picture him on Mrs. O'Leary's back, vanishing into the shadows on his hellhound, his eyes glowing green.